Another depressing Selfinsert
by ColdCypher
Summary: Well... a girl gets a wish and ends up in the Ranma-realm after a year of suffering... Now, I could say things that'll make you read this but I just don't care anymore... I just write to get my emotions out so whatever...
1. The beginning of the end

Another depressing self-insertion

(AN: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or it's cast but I do own Aiko, Yukio and old man Tanaka. Though… Yukio and Old man Tanaka were both inspired by Kodomo no Omocha, to some extent, which I also don't own :P)

This is a story, much like any other story… And like any other story…. There's a small truth behind it… and also… a lesson to be learnt.

So it began, like all good stories, on a dark and stormy night. A young teenage girl sat in her darkened room, listening to the methodical beat of her favorite songs. She… was sitting at the window… looking out into the clouded sky… watching the rain strike her window and the wind blast through the trees. A deep rolling thunder tore through the air accompanied by lightning that lit up the night sky. As the deep bass of nature reached her, she shivered with pleasure and awe. 'Such power… so much power. It's so beautiful.', she thought as she looked upon the storm in excitement. She didn't want the power for herself, no… she found no pleasure in wielding it… she found only joy in looking upon it's glory.

Another boom rolled through her from the clouds and she was content. The world didn't matter anymore… Nothing mattered… It was only her and the storm. And she was happy… Happy to be part of that storm… part of the CHOAS.

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It's been one year since I received this power and the duty that came with it. I have to protect the crystal of the elements, which is now imbedded in my soul. It must not fall into the hands of those who are greedy and hunger for power… They would use it to destroy innocent lives and oppress to people of the multi-verse… Monsters like them have been hunting me non-stop since I started out on this… and yet, I still do not regret taking on this responsibility…. I've seen things that cannot be described, good and bad, and I've experienced countless things that have taught me to be a better person and now here I am…

I was roughly thrown to the grown as the vortex closed behind me, blood dripping from my being as my mangled clothes barely stuck to my weakened form. I was badly injured… I knew… my body convulsed and I coughed up blood on the wooden surface I was lying on. Through the pain the fear I felt was still constant… so was the desire to run… to escape. Slowly I worked my arms under me and pushed off the ground, my arms shaking with effort… It wasn't to be… my arms gave way and I fell, onto what I now recognized as wooden bridge, with a soft thunk.

I lay there my arms twitching and the memories of my horror still fresh in my mind. For the first time in my life I was really, really scared… I knew I wouldn't even be able to fend off a kitten, let alone a member of the Shin. I pitched my ears, trying to clear my senses as much as I could through the blinding pain, shivering, twitching and whimpering all the way. The wind rushed through the trees and crickets chirped in the grass behind me… And yet the sound wasn't comforting at all… I felt like they would be here any second to kill me and take the crystal. I wanted my mom… Her warm embrace to keep me safe from all the monsters but I knew it was just a fantasy… reality was much harsher than that. She was gone… dead and I knew it… There was no bringing her back and even if I could, being with her would only place her in danger.

The cold wind whipped against my bare skin and I shivered as the pieces of cloth fluttered in it's grasp. -Flash- Cold blue long fingered hands reaching out at me from the darkness -flash- My eyes wide as I shivered, my heart still racing through my chest. I choked and coughed again, more blood spilling onto the bridge. Then I heard footsteps approaching… 'It's them!', my mind cried, 'I have to get away!!' I struggled, trying to pull myself along they ground but I couldn't even lift my head let alone drag my own body. The footsteps were getting closer, I could hear them and my breathing quickened. Then it was there… the face in the darkness… The gasp of shock… My head suddenly felt light, maybe from blood loss or maybe from something else but the next thing I knew there was only darkness.

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Ranma stared at the sight in horror… there was way too much blood for it to belong to just the little girl. Nonetheless, her life was more important now… Ranma rushed over to her and inspected her wounds quickly… Multiple lacerations some bad bruising and scrapes, a twisted ankle and he even spotted some light burns on her back... Her clothes were in shreds, barely covering her body. Ranma picked up the girl as gently as she could, winching a little at the bruise that was forming on her cheek… 'Good thing Akane knocked me this way or this kid might've died…', she thought as she sped off to the Tendo home, which was the closest to her current location. About a minute later she burst through the front door of the Tendo home… "KASUMI!!! COME QUICK!!", she cried, scared for the kid's life. The eldest Tendo only had to take one look at the scene before rushing off to get her first aid kit. Once she was tending to the wounds, Ranma rushed off to the phone to get a hold of Dr. Tofu, while Nabiki just stared with a shocked/confused look on her face. Akane rounded the corner, about to start down the stairs when she spotted Ranma talking into the phone, his arms covered in blood. She froze, her face turning white before she forced herself to remain calm, which was quite an accomplishment for Akane Tendo who wasn't really known for her 'control'. "What happened?", she asked Ranma once he'd set down the phone. He looked up at her for a second a confused and somewhat annoyed but also worried look on his face. "I found a girl at the park… she's badly hurt.", he said as he turned his back and headed back to the living room.

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The darkness was all around me, suffocating me… but I stayed calm gasping for breath… I heard faint sounds coming from all around me… "She seems to have stabilized…" "Thanks Dr. Tofu, I don't know what we would've done without you." "K-K-K-Kasumi, f-fancy meeting you here. Hehehhah…" collective sigh "Akane, would you show Dr. Tofu the door." "Sure sis." "Who is she?" "How should I know?!" "You're the one that found her." "Yeah in a pool of her own blood with nobody for miles around." … her own blood… blood…

-Flash-

There was an enormous ripping sound through the air followed by an explosion that threw me through the window I'd been staring out of. Luckily my room was on the ground but that still didn't stop me from getting cut up. Painfully I turned my head in the direction of the house. The sight brought horror to the core of my being. My home… my family… was gone… There was nothing there but a few crumbling walls at the edge of a huge crater. The sky was black yet tainted orange and red by the fires in the area. I suddenly heard a clash of metal and looked upwards… There in the sky I saw two blurs one a glowing reddish black ball of power against the moonlit bank of clouds and the other a soft blue ball that seemed to echo the moonlight. Suddenly there was a particularly loud clash of metal, flesh and bone. They seemed to pause in the air for a second before an inhuman scream tore through the air. That scream would haunt my nightmares for years to come. It was followed by a sudden and forceful explosion that sent the blue light tumbling my way.

It crashed into the ground about ten meters from the spot where I lay. I was surprised when the light dimmed enough to reveal the figure of a woman whom I judged to be in her late twenties. Her face was scrunched up in pain with her eyes screwed tightly shut. As the world around me calmed down and only the crackle of the fires burning what was left of my home.

I rolled onto my hands and knees, watching my blood drip from the tip of my nose and onto the ground. I just rested there for a second, watching blankly as blood dripped from my face into the puddle I'd been lying in… a puddle of my own blood… my life… with each crimson droplet time seemed to flow slower and the ripples created in to pool of blood seemed to shake the very earth. I felt weak… my limbs were numb and I could barely muster the strength to lift them… I shook myself out of my daze and looked over to where the woman lay only to find she was gone, there in her place lay a blue crystal. I was surprised at her sudden disappearance and frankly quite worried from what I'd seen, she'd been severely injured, probably even worse than me. Slowly I managed to drag myself towards the glowing light forcing myself to move. I refused to just lie down and die… Finally I collapsed an arms length from the crystal and reached out, touching it with my right hand. -Flash-

I gasped as I sat upright, breathing heavily and looking around. I found myself in a bed in an empty room. In the corner of the room there was a bookcase with what looked like it was stacked with mostly medical books though I spotted a few cookbooks as well. There was also a carved closet in the room and a desk in the far corner with some more books and a small lamp. The curtains were pink and had annoying frills on them but what freaked me the most was the duvet of the bed I was lying in. It was pink with white dots and frilly patterns and cute things on it… it was enough to make me want to puke. I threw off the covers and swung my feet to the side, winching at the stiffness in my body and the lingering pain. I noticed that I wasn't wearing and clothes and that most of my body was tightly wrapped in bandages. I also had a bandage around my head which was making my forehead itch. I grabbed the sheet on the bed and pulled it free, throwing it over my shoulders and holding the front closed to preserve some modesty. I then headed for the door… the first few steps were unsteady and quite painful but I managed to push it to the back of my mind and reached for the door-handle.

Just as touched the brass handle I became fully awake and memories came rushing back to me. My knees almost buckled but I pushed my negative thoughts away… as far as I could tell I was safe for now. I shook my head a little, winching again at the pain the movement caused before pulling open the door and looking down the hallway to my left. The hallway was long and at the end I could see a railing of what appeared to be stairs. To my right it ended in a solid oak door, which I suspected, led to an attic.

I set my first foot out of the room, feeling the wooden surface under my bare feet. I could hear some sounds coming from the direction of the staircase… It sounded like a woman talking. I wandered down the hallway, pausing only to study some of the photos that adorned the walls on the way. In most of the photos were three little girls and/or what I assumed was their two parents. I studied them for a while… the seemed vaguely familiar to me somehow though I couldn't quite place who exactly they were. I froze when I reached the door closest to the stairwell. On the door was something very familiar. A duck shaped nameplate with 'Akane' written on it in big bold letters. I shook my head, 'Nah… It's just a coincidence.', I thought to myself. I crouched at the top of the stairs and looked through the railing into the living room… There I saw a young woman in a housedress and apron talking with two men who were sitting opposite each other with some sort of board-game between them. I sat down on the stairwell and listened in.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea Otousan. We can't just plaster her face everywhere like that… The police already know we found her and they're looking into it, I think that's more than enough already." "Maybe you're right daughter, she isn't a lost pet or something… It'd draw too much attention to her." "Would you like some tea?" "Yes, thank you Kasumi, that'd be nice." The front door suddenly slammed open and another familiar face stormed in, "I'm home!", she announced harshly, turning to the stairs and rushing up… she gave me but a curious glance but otherwise pointedly ignored me. She rushed into her room and slammed the door, making the nameplate bounce dangerously. "I'm home!", came another voice though this time with a more depressed lilt to it. I glance up the stairwell and spotted me sitting on the top step.

He quickly climbed the steps and sat down next to me with a bright smile. "Hi, I'm Ranma.", he said with a slight bow in his head. I paused for a second before answering, "Aiko." He nodded and asked, "What are you doing up here all by yourself?", with a hint of humor in his voice. I found it somewhat patronizing and a bit annoying but none the less I answered. "Listening." I noticed a short frown appear on his face which was quickly wiped away. "Wanna go downstairs and meet everybody?" I paused again before giving a curt nod. I wrapped the sheet tighter around me so it looked like a makeshift dress before holding my hands out to him, indicating that I was expecting him to pick me up. With a shake of his head he reached down and lifted me into his arms as gently as he could. He then moved down the stairs and as we came into the living room he announced, "Look who I found at the top of the stairs."

Kasumi looked up from where she was pouring the cups of tea for the to older men. A bright smile appeared on her face. "Hello there.", she said with a smile so bright that almost made me go blind. I was quite comfortable in Ranma's arms for some reason and I didn't really want to let go so when he leaned over the couch to put me down I only held on tighter. Don't ask me why… I just felt like it. Ranma just sighed and finally gave in, sitting down on the couch with me on his lap. I tucked my hands under the blanket and leaned my head against his shoulder, relaxing. It was real comfortable and warm… just like when -flash- My dad holding me on his lap as we sat on the ground, inspecting my scraped knee… I sniffed, trying to be brave and hold back the tears.-flash- I frowned at the memory as a little sadness gripped my heart again… I really didn't want to move right now. I heard a third voice call from the entrance, announcing their arrival. I recognized it as Nabiki's voice but I chose to ignore my surroundings in favor of the comforting warmth that was radiating off Ranma.

I opened my eyes and looked at Nabiki as she walked into the room. "Looks like you have another admirer Ranma.", said Nabiki while looking me in the eye. I stared back at her, meeting her gaze head on, unflinching. It's something I taught myself to do a long time ago, when I was in high school. Never show weakness unless it's for your own benefit. "Well at least I don't have to worry about her being my fiancé. Right pops?", asked Ranma with slight tone of worry in his voice. Genma ignored his son, pretending he was absorbed in the game of go.

My eyes followed Nabiki as she crossed the room entering the kitchen… I think I unnerved her a bit even though she didn't really show it. "RIGHT?! OYAGI?!", cried Ranma and I winched at the loud voice clutching his shirt a bit tighter… He paused and relaxed again, "Uh… sorry…"

I curled up tighter as my stomach suddenly growled… "Geh…", I muttered. "Hungry?", asked Ranma as he pushed me away to look in my face. I nodded a bit reluctantly, not knowing which to choose, food or comfort… He lifted me off his lap and placed me on the couch, "Just wait here for a sec. I think we have some pork buns on the kitchen." I crossed my legs, and rocked back and forth, watching his back as Nabiki re-entered the room with a cup of coffee in her hand.

She sat down at the table and picked up the mail that was lying on it. I watched her curiously as she looked through each letter opening or putting them on a pile for later. I looked over at Mr. Tendo who was still playing Shogi with his partner in crime. They didn't even look up as the middle daughter started working on the bills. It angered me… and I mean really angered me that the 'man' of the house was just sitting doing nothing all day long while his daughters had to fend for themselves and even take care of him. I could see the images spring up in my mind… the 'dutiful housewife', Kasumi the 'husband' and money maker Nabiki, while Akane played the spoilt brat and Soun played the part of furniture. I shook the images from my head as Ranma came from the kitchen with a plate filled with pork-buns. He handed me one and I grabbed it, immediately devouring it without a second thought. I blinked… I hadn't realized I was that hungry. I grabbed two more and shoved one down my throat before eating the third at a more leisurely pace.

At my forth I was more awake and had energy to burn… I was getting pretty restless by the time Kasumi re-entered the room. She looked at me and said, "Why don't we get you something to wear? You can't walk around in that sheet all day." I nodded and stood up, placing the plate of pork-buns near Nabiki who automatically grabbed one while she was working, without even looking up. I skipped up the stairs, pausing at the top, waiting for Kasumi to catch up… She lead me back to the room I'd escaped from and opened an old chest in the corner. I was a bit hesitant since this was Kasumi we were talking about… I was afraid I'd get some frilly dress or something. "These were the only clothes I could really find to fit you that resembled your old outfit.", said Kasumi as she pulled out a long sleeved leotard and some cut-off jeans and a jean-jacket. My eyes lit up at the sight… it was perfect. I quickly grabbed them and pulled off my bandages, quickly dressed in the clothes that'd been handed to me. "You really should move so fast! You're still injured." I just gave her a slight smirk… when I was finished Kasumi smiled at me, "The leotard was mine when I was younger, you know… I had some interest in gymnastics at the time.", she said wistfully, "The jeans were of course Akane's… she's always been a bit of a tomboy."

I glanced at myself in the full length mirror and was surprised at the sight. The jeans fit quite nicely with my short cropped blue hair and the black long-sleeved leotard was a statement on it's own… of course it did make that fact that I had little to no chest quite obvious but I wasn't vain enough to care about that. I ran out of the room, looking for Ranma. I found him standing in the living room and stopped with a bright smile on my face, twirling around. When I stopped I looked at him expectantly. "Uh… yeah… you look okay…", he said, looking away. My smile faded and I headed back up the stairs without a word. Behind me I heard Nabiki reprimanding him, "You know Ranma that wasn't very nice… not that I care though." "Yeah, whatever.", said Ranma, "I'm going to the dojo." I passed Kasumi at the top of the stairs as she went back to the kitchen. I didn't notice a smug looking Akane sitting on the couch watching television.

Back in her room I plopped down on the bed, bouncing up and down. I was starting to feel a bit cramped up in this house and I needed to get outside… I wonder if anybody would take me for a walk or something. I jumped off the bed and opened the window letting the cooling afternoon breeze pour into the room. I vaguely heard sounds of practice coming from the other side of the house. I sighed and rested my head on the window sill, looking out over the town. It was still early in the afternoon and I was starting to get bored… I wish something would happen. After about fifteen minutes I jumped up from my spot. 'I guess I got nothing better to do.', I thought to myself as I headed out the door and skipped toward the dojo. I stood outside the dojo and leaned around the doorway, looking at Ranma practicing. My eyes widened at the sight… It was utterly amazing. The kata he was doing slowed down at some points and followed up by a sudden burst of speed to catch the opponent off guard. From the way he was moving it looked like he was manipulating both gravity and the flow of time… It was a sight that was utterly awe-inspiring.

I plopped down on the floor near the entrance and continued to watch him, my boredom forgotten. He moved effortlessly through the katas as I watched… I felt like I was being drawn into it, compelled to copy him but I held myself back. When he finished he was covered in sweat and breathing hard. He looked over at me and I smiled at him… He didn't smile back though… he just ignored me and walked out, grabbing a towel on the way. 'I wonder what wrong with him… He didn't have to be that cruel… asshole. Since nobody was in the dojo I decided it was time I started practicing again… I'd need the experience for when the Shin finally showed up. I stood in the middle of the room and kicked out as fast as I could with my left leg aimed for my imaginary opponent's middle. I felt the air rush lightly around me and heard a impact of compressed air on the far wall. I held the position for a few seconds before dropping into a horse-stance and shooting my palm forwards, my fingers curled inwards. Once more I heard the impact and I relaxed, pulling my arm next to my body and breathing out. I quickly pulled my legs together and launched into a back flip and landing in a low stance with my left leg forward and my right leg bent under me. I then stood up and put my hands together in front of my chest and concentrating. Slowly I lifted off the floor and floated into the air. I lifted my legs up and crossed them under me as I floated in the air. My energy was still a little low so it took some effort to fly but the longer I did it the easier it became.

My eyes snapped open and my right hand shot out to my left before returning and shooting forward, releasing a small fireball at the training dummy in the corner. With another hand movement I dispelled the flames just as it struck the dummy. I the let go of my concentration and dropped to the floor with a thud… I lay there looking up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. I still wasn't back to my normal strength but I could tell I was getting better. My mana was still low from the trip through the dimensions but by using small spells I knew I could replenish my resources faster. I sighed lightly and turned on my side, looking out the dojo door… I stood up and wandered into the garden. It seemed like it had been watered this morning since there were still a few droplets on the flower petals, making them seem even more beautiful. I crouched down and stroked the petals of one flower softly, feeling the velvet texture on my skin. I spotted a bee collecting pollen and I sat there watching it closely, inspecting it… watching it go about what it was doing and not even noticing me there.

From inside the house I heard something similar to a 'pop' and then a frustrated scream. I stood and walked inside to see what was going on. Ranma came running into the living room with only a pair of pants and a towel draped over her neck. She plopped herself down on the floor in the corner, grumbling about her curse. "What happened Ranma?", asked Kasumi from the kitchen. "The stupid water pipe broke again!", Ranma called back. "I'd think you'd be used to it by now…", said Nabiki, where she was still sitting at the coffee table. "Hey! If it wasn't for these bowling-balls on my chest it wouldn't have bothered me at all!", cried Ranma indignantly. An idea suddenly popped into my head… I could help Ranma… My spell scrying techniques should work fine on a freak accidental magic like Jusenkyo. That's if it really was an accident… if somebody actually created Jusenkyo then they'd probably have protection code written into the spell.

Tonight. I decided… I'd change the age of Ranma's cursed form… then I can have a friend my age and Ranma gets rid of one of his problems… besides, I'm sure his cursed form's hormones are really annoying to him...

Dinner was a quiet affair… well not really, Ranma and his dad were having another food battle… Akane was pointedly ignoring me and Nabiki and Soun were just indifferent. Kasumi though was fussing over me, asking if I liked the food and other things… I kinda liked the attention from her… At first I hadn't liked her because she acted like she didn't notice the world around her… But now… she kinda reminded me of my best friend back home… always kind and caring and there for you when you need a shoulder to lean on… Someone to listen to your problems and not judge you for your misdeeds. I was chatting so happily with Kasumi that it eventually came out that I didn't know how to cook and when Kasumi offered to teach me I wholeheartedly accepted the offer, it's always been something that I'd wanted to do… but back home I always felt out of place in the kitchen. My little sister had been more of a wiz in the kitchen than me… I was more like a walking natural disaster when it came to cooking… Eventually dinner came to and end and Kasumi started clearing up the dishes, which I quickly helped with. I was surprised to find that they had a dishwasher in the kitchen… so there wasn't any need to do the washing by hand. Kasumi of course insisted on cleaning the pots by hand and by herself so she sent me off to take a bath, saying that the furo was already filled. As I walked in I missed the occupied sign and just undressed, heading in…

As the sliding door slid open I was surprised to see Nabiki sitting on the stool rinsing some shampoo out of her hair. "Oh, hey kid… You here to take a bath?"… I paused before nodding dumbly… "Well then come in and close the door will you.", she said sharply. I did as I was told. Inside I looked around the furo-room, finding another stool I pulled it closer to the center and paused again… "Damn… I forgot… I don't have bath-stuff…", I muttered to myself. I heard a sigh coming from Nabiki. "Come here and let me wash your back…", she said sounding a little unenthusiastic. I quickly moved in front of her as Nabiki started massaging the soap into my back… I winched when she touched as spot which was still a bit sore and she used a lighter touch because of it… After a few minutes I relaxed(AN: It's not really part of my culture so I was a 'bit' uncomfortable…) and let her move on to washing my hair before finishing the rest off myself. "Um… Thank you, Nabiki-san.", I said hesitantly as she picked up the rinsing bucket… I glanced at it warily as she held it over my head. Then she dumped it over me and I let out an 'eek' of surprise at the cold water, shivering a bit. Nabiki smirked a bit and stuck out her tongue at me. To say the least, I was surprised… the normally calm and cool Nabiki was being playfull?

I shoved away the thoughts and grabbed the spare bucket, filling it from the furo and flinging it at Nabiki, a bright smile on my face… while she was recovering from my attack I slipped into the furo, leaving the bucket outside. I sighed at the soothing warmth of the water. Nabiki climbed in after me and we splashed each other lightly, both knowing Kasumi would be upset if we emptied the furo before the 'men'(AN: If you can even call those spineless wimps that) had their nightly bath. After a water fight, which I lost, I was never really any good at those, Nabiki lay back her head resting on the side of the furo and pulled me on top of her… as I lay there, facing the ceiling we talked a bit about what we liked and disliked, foods and trinkets, clothes… and so on… eventually… I'm not sure when I drifted off to sleep with my head nestled on her shoulder…

I dreamt…

-Flash-

The moment I touched the crystal, a bright light surrounded me and I saw images… broken worlds and finally the creation of the crystal of the five elements by a woman named Lina Inverse. Within it the four powers that was the basis of all worlds warred against each other, air, light, life, water and spirit… These within this crystal these five evolved and together they formed and unlimited source of power, so great that was this power that if it fell into the wrong hands, it could cease the existence of the multiverse. Finding the burden too great for one person to bare, and having no sure way of destroying her creation, Lina sealed it away deep within a tomb, casting some of the forbidden spells to keep it hidden, hoping that none would ever find it… but they did find it, over time Lina's spells faded and the crystal was found… More surprising however was that the crystal had developed a life of it's own… a consciousness which had a knowledge of the world… Refusing to be used for evil it found the most suitable candidate and granted him one wish by fusing with his soul and so it moved on, from one wielder to the next until it eventually came into my hands.

"I wish… I wish to become a goddess…", I mumbled out, thinking of Skuld from one of my favorite animès. "Though, independent of any greater power.", I added… "An independent goddess. to travels through the dimensions to help where I can… and comfort who I can.", I said as the sadness of my loss crawled through my mind. My family was gone, and I had nothing left here… Finally some tears escaped my eyes as I gazed at the fading fires burning what little was left of my home… -flash-

I gasped as I sat upright. Looking around… I was surprised to find myself in a room I didn't recognize… I knew it was still dark outside since I could see the starlight coming in through the window. I shivered a bit as the memories of what happened to me after my wish came streaming into my mind… Even though the previous guardian had died, the Shin clone hadn't… It was still weak at the time but it had enough power to stumble over to me, black blood dripping from it's form. It swiped at me with it's sword, which glanced off my arm, leaving a shallow cut… At the time I was still terrified of killing a living thing let alone harm it, so I ran… I disappeared into the night, wearing only a tattered nightshirt. I spent weeks running before I gained at least some mastery over my newfound power. The Shin was always on my heel, killing anyone who got in the way…

I shook my head… That was in the past… It's over now… but the problem is that when the Shin finally come here, they could attack the Tendo family or any of the people I get close to. Ranma might be able to defend them but it was a risk I wasn't really willing to take… I slid my feet off the bed, feeling the soft pajamas brush against my form. My heart fluttered at the thought, only strengthening my resolve to leave as soon as I could. I looked down at Nabiki who was sleeping on a futon at my feet. I lifted off the ground and floated above her for a second, smiling and silently thanking her for being kind to me. I the shimmered and disappeared, reappearing in the guest room where Ranma was sleeping. I floated silently until I was right next to him and set to work.

The first few spells were cast to agitate the curse and make it more accessible, most of them were spells relating to water. When it stabilized I started mentally chanting… The words just popped into my head as went along… Two thin red streams stretched out from my fingers and touched the curse aura… Information flooded my mind as I read through it… The curse itself was hard to get rid of without harming the cursed one since it was bonded to his/her very soul… as far as I could tell… The cursed pools draws a creature in through curiosity… when the creature drowns there, it's soul is used as a catalyst to store the curse… When something or someone else falls in the spring and drowns, then the first soul is released and the second is trapped in the spring… When something or someone else falls in the spring without drowning, the curse spreads to that person like a virus, bonding to his or her soul as well, keeping it in this world. Which basically means… if a cursed person drowns in a pool of water their soul will be stuck there and said pool will also be cursed… The curses also blend together and cannot be cured by another pool.

'Then how come the instant water worked on Ranma in the animè?', I thought to myself… 'It should be the same, should it? Mmm… this requires a more in depth study.' I sighed as I cleared my thoughts once more and continued on my quest. As far as I could tell, Jusenkyo was a natural phenomena caused by an explosion of extreme amounts of chaos magic… I plucked at one part of the spell and finally found what I was looking for. The curse was pretty basic to tell the truth. The attributes were right there… a detailed list of everything and anything… I found the age setting and reduced it to the age of ten, activating the age lock. I also spotted the immortality setting… I hesitated but decided that I should leave it off for now, it's Ranma's choice… Then I spotted something else that was quite interesting… the muscle density setting… I also hesitated before nodding to myself, increasing the density, proportionate to the decrease in the size of his form… sorta like compressing the muscles that were already there. Then I slowly retracted the spell, disconnecting my streams… When I was about to disconnect the last one, there was a sudden surge in the chaos magic, painfully tearing my link from Ranma and flinging my back into the wall. My head struck the cement with a crack, making the world spin for a second.

I fell to my knees, my arms and legs weak from the pain and shock… I looked back at the comical imprint my form left on the wall, before shaking my head and casting a small healing spell to alleviate the headache that was already forming. I quietly teleported back to Nabiki's room, never noticing the small red light that was floating next to Ranma's body… it suddenly flared blue and faded away, mixing into Ranma's aura.

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The next morning I was busy dressing in my usual clothes when I was startled by a child's scream. I rushed out of the room as quickly as my sleepy mind would let me and headed for the guest room… Akane was in the doorway standing stock still with a bucket hanging limply from her one hand as she gaped at the scene in front of her. Ranma was running around the room shouting angrily…'It… kinda looks like she was having a temper tantrum or something… She must just be happy about her new form.', I thought to myself obliviously… (AN: Must be Kasumi rubbing off on me.) "WHAT HAPPENED. HOW?! WHEN?! WHO?!" "I did it!", I said cheerfully, "Do you like my present?" "You did this?! How?!" "Well I am part goddess, it was pretty easy actually.", I smiled happily, "Now you don't have to worry about your breasts getting in the way and we can be best friends!", I cried… (AN: When did I suddenly become so… like a kid? I almost feel compelled to add a lisp into the sentences…Ps… no insult intended to you eleven year olds out there, I know your smarter and more grown up than I'm depicting here… heh…)

"BEST FRIENDS?! BEST FRIENDS!?! YOU KNOW WHAT I WANNA DO TO YOU?!", she rushed forwards pinning me against the wall. "Do you think I'm HAPPY about this?! Now not only do you have to be a girl!! I have to be weak little kid too!!!!", she raged in my face… I had nowhere to back up to and I've never really been the confrontational type. "But-" "I'll never be your friend! I HATE YOU!!", cried Ranma. My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat, my heart felt like it just shattered (AN: I wonder why… It's not like I'm in love with the guy or something)… I thought she'd be happy… I thought she'd like me but she hates me… I felt broken inside… That lost feeling you get when you try to do something nice for someone and it turns out hurting them instead… It's like being a good person isn't worth anything… Tears started coming to my eyes and Ranma released me stepping back as I fell to my knees, bawling my eyes out… Slowly my form started becoming transparent and sparkles appeared around me as I faded away… "Wait!", Ranma cried frantically a worried expression on child-like her face.

I reappeared in the park. Still crying… my tears slowed down to a trickle and I curled up into a ball, my shoulders still heaving as an occasional sob escaped past my lips. It wasn't just what Ranma had said… no, it was more than that… I've had nothing for the last year… I've always been on the run and the people behind me just died one after the other… My family was gone and I had nothing left… … I don't know how longs I was lying there but I was startled when I heard a calm voice from next to me. "Were you crying?", I looked up in shock, seeing a boy about my age sitting there. "What makes you think I was!?!", I cried defiantly. He only raised an eyebrow at that… "Well, you do have tear tracks down your cheeks.", he said nonchalantly, ignoring my attitude. I glared at him angrily, wiping the remains of my sorrows away… my cheeks burning slightly. He let out a small chuckle, animating his stony face for a second. I stared at him in astonishment… 'What was so funny?', I thought. He just smiled at me… I blushed, "Uh… sorry… I just had a fight with one of my friends, I didn't mean to bite." "It's okay, so what's your name?", he asked as his face slowly returned to it's previous stony expression. "Um… uh… Aiko. What's yours?" "Yukio, Yukio Tanaka.", he replied. "Want to talk about it?", he asked. "About what?", I asked confused. "Your fight with your friend." I flinched at the reminder, "Um… not really…", I decided on a random topic, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?", I asked him. He seemed taken aback by the sudden change of subject but shrugged it off. "Nope, it's just me and my granddad. I've been living with him ever since my parents died in a plane crash." "Oh, sorry… I'm the same I guess… my parents and my brother and sister all died when some maniac blew up our house…" He raised both eyebrows at that… "Where have you been living then?" "…Here… there and nowhere… Normally if I stay in one place too long they find me…" "They?", he said looking at me worriedly… "Oh! Sorry… I didn't mean to load you up with my problems… It's really nothing for you to worry about…", I said quickly… He paused for a second and seemed to consider it…

"Do you have a place to stay?" I shook my head. "Come on then.", he said, holding out his hand. "Huh?", I replied in my normal intelligent way. "You can stay with my and my granddad for a while if you want… We have more than enough room and money won't be a problem." I lifted my hand but hesitated… "I don't want to impose." "Don't worry about it!", he cried as he grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my seat.

Holding onto my hand tightly he dragged me through the park in the opposite direction of the Tendo home. I quickly walked up next to him, shaking my hand loose from his grip, a slight blush on my face at the attention we were getting from the few people strolling around. I walked next to him looking up at the sky which was becoming overcast quite quickly… As I walked I thought back to the Ranma gang… 'They're probably somewhere looking for me…', I thought to myself while looking at the sky… 'I'd better call… I don't want anyone to get sick on my account.' I turned to Yukio… "Mind if I use your phone when we get there?" He shook his head but I saw the questioning look in his eyes. "It's just that I don't want them to be out in the rain looking for me… they might get sick and it'd be my fault." "That's nice of you…" 'No, it's not… I'm just selfish… I don't want them to hate me even-', I thought to myself. "We're here.", he interrupted. I looked up, surprised… There before me was a huge house… bigger than the Tendo home. I just stood there gaping for a second before Yukio grabbed my elbow and steered me through the gate… "This is your house?", I asked, shocked. "Yeah.", he replied in an emotionless voice. "I'm home!", he called as he stepped into the house, "And I brought a guest!" "Welcome home.", came an aged voice before a gray haired man rounded the corner, from his build I could see he'd trained most of his life, "What do we have here…" "I found her crying in the par-" I sweetly removed my elbow from his side and smiled sweetly at the old man. "Hello sir.", I said, bowing, "My name's Aiko."

He nodded sagely, rubbing his chin as if in deep thought… Suddenly, he went 'chibi' and I stared in shock as he danced around the room with a huge grin on his face, crying, "My grandson's finally got a girlfriend!" I stared at him, gaping in the pure horror of a chibi old person(AN: Come on… What would Cologne look like if she went chibi? Think about it! :P:)lol) Beside me, Yukio was developing an annoyed twitch… The old man suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my hands, "You're just perfect for him!" He grabbed Yukio around the neck and pulled him closer… "So? When are you two getting married?", he whispered loudly. A vein suddenly popped on Yukio's forehead, his elbow met his grandad's head and the poor old man crashed into the floor, swirly patterns in his chibi-eyes. "I'm only eleven…", Yukio growled through his teeth. He grabbed me wrist, without even looking my way and dragged me harshly up the stairs while muttering things about stupid family under his breath. I winched a bit at his tight grip but ignored it mostly… 'Sigh I'm supposed to be a warrior… I really should stop acting like a kid, besides, it's not like I'm gonna be here long enough for it to matter.'… a single tear slid down my cheek unnoticed as I thought back to when I'd had a family of my own… It still hurt that I'd lost them and I haven't even had time to grieve.

(AN: Well… Bah! At first I wasn't gonna post this but I decide what the heck! Why not… So here it is… It's not the first chapter… more like the first three chapters, but it's all I've got and I'm too lazy to divide it up now, so expect the second chapter to be shorter...)


	2. Trouble comes calling

Chapter 2, if you can call it that…

AN: Well first off… I only got two reviews so far which is to be expected since the summery is annoyingly boring and nobody'd actually read this fic soo… anyway… off we go to continue the adventure…

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Yukio dragged me into his room, finally letting go of my wrist… You want to take a bath…?", he asked. I nodded, "Sure I need to clean up anyway." "Okay, so you have anything clean you can wear while we wash those?", he asked me casually, indicating my clothes. I noticed that his hands were still clenched tightly in a fist, probably from being annoyed by his granddad but for some reason I could see no other outward signs of his annoyance. I shook my head slightly. Outside the rain finally started to fall and a sharp clap of thunder startled me. 'Think warrior!', I chided myself, 'You're not a wimpy little girl, you're the protector!' I blinked as an oversized t-shirt suddenly hit my in the face. "You can take a bath downstairs to the right… Grandpa should've filled the furo by now.", stated Yukio. I nodded a little and headed out of the room. "There's soap and shampoo next to the furo, feel free to use them!", he called after me.

As I took the first step down the stairs I paused, studying the texture of the wood and the thin layer of dust that was piling on the banister. I continued to the dressing room and looked at my image in the mirror as I entered… There was the little girl again… the same face I'd seen over and over in the past year… it wasn't my face… The short cropped blue hair danced around my head as I stared at the image. It seemed somewhat surreal to me… like a face from a dream… or a nightmare. I've always tell myself that I don't regret my decision to become the protector but first with Ranma, and now here… I'm getting the feeling that I need to belong somewhere. I can't keep running… I need to make a stand sometime or my life will never be a shade of normal again. Of course the term 'normal' being used loosely here... I walked forwards and rested my forehead against the cool glass, staring deeply into my own eyes. There… I saw only a little kid, a scared little kid with no direction. I placed my hand against the mirror and roughly pushed myself away.

'I'm a warrior damnit!', I cried mentally though my resolve was wavering… I looked down at my wrist and saw the slight bruise that was developing there… 'I am, right?', I asked… 'Am I really? A normal eleven year old boy can hurt me… and I'm a crybaby… Argh! What's wrong with me! Why can't I just choose a personality and stick with it!' But I already knew the answer… I couldn't throw away my feelings, my emotion… they were too precious to me and yet… I still had a job to do… a duty. 'I wish this would all just end…', I pleaded to any deity that was listening. I sighed and undressed, slowly removing the bandages on my form, winching as some of the wounds started bleeding again. I walked into the furo-room and dragged a stool, bucket and bath supplies closer. I dumped the bucket over my head and took up the soap, washing the grime and dried blood off my body, taking care not to aggravate my injuries. When I finished, I rinsed off and climbed into the furo, relaxing in the warmth of the water and the burning sensation it left on my wounds… then it hit me… I'd forgotten to call the Tendos! I shot out of the tub, dried myself and pulled the oversized t-shirt over my head before running out of the furo.

Just outside, in the hallway, I met grandpa Tanaka… "Um… sorry sir, but can I use your phone, I need to call someone…" He just smiled politely at me and nodded, "Sure hun, take all the time you need." As he turned around, he suddenly went chibi again and skipped up the stairs… I looked at him strangely before shaking my head and turning to the phone…

I quickly looked up their number in the phonebook and dialed. "Hello Tendo residence, Kasumi speaking.", I heard on the other side of the line. "Um… Hello Kasumi-san… this is Aiko-chan…", I said somewhat reluctantly. "Oh my.", she said, "Ranma was out looking for you all morning, where have you been?" "I'm at a friend's house now… I'm gonna stay here for now, okay?", I said, ignoring her question. "Oh, sure… If you're okay, then it's fine, though I think Ranma wants to talk to you…" "I- I don't think I can right now… I'll see you sometime Kasumi-san… I still need cooking lessons after all…" "Oh definitely Ai-chan, you come over whenever you like.", she replied… I'd swear the receiver was glowing when she smiled.

I sighed a little and said goodbye. I suddenly realized that the shirt was sticking to my back a little… I twisted my head around and looked, only to see blood staining it. "Damn…", I whined, "Now I've gone and ruined his shirt…" "What do you mean?", came a voice from the stairs in front of me. I looked up surprised to see Yukio there… "Wha? No nothing…", I said nervously…

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In the Tendo home Kasumi turned away from the phone and stood at the entrance of the family room, listening to the conversation. She didn't want to distract them so she stayed where she was.

"I told you we should've used a paralysis point on her.", said Dr. Tofu, "She still isn't well enough to be moving around as much." "Yeah but you yourself said that she needed to wake up and get some substantial food in her body. She'd already been unconscious for 5 days when you undid the shiatsu… and besides we didn't want to scare or alienate her.", said Ranma. "I think you've done a fine job of that already Ranma.", came Nabiki's voice. "Hey! It wasn't my fault! If you want to blame someone blame Akane, she's the one who made me feel like a jerk by calling me a pedophile (AN: Of course he had to pay Nabiki to explain to him what exactly a pedophile was)! It's her fault I ignored Aiko last night!" "Don't bring me into this! You're the one that made her cry you jerk!", shouted Akane. "Hey, hey… calm down…", said Tofu, the only sane person in the room… but not for long.

At this point Kasumi decided to make her entrance(AN: Sarcastic smile). As she walked in, Nabiki asked her, "Who was that on the phone sis?" "Ka-ka-ka –sumiiii! Heeeeheee", you can guess who that came from. "Oh, that was Aiko… she just wanted to let us know she's fine and she's staying at a friend's house.", replied Kasumi. "What! You mean I've been worried for nothing!", cried Ranma angrily. "Would you rather you'd been worried for something?", commented Nabiki. Ranma paused at that and sighed, giving in and letting his anger go, "At least she's okay. To Kasumi Did she say where she was?" "Oh. No, she didn't. She only told me she was staying with a friend.", replied Kasumi.

Well enough of that… their pathetic banter is already starting to bore me so let's get back to the heroine of the story… me.

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I backed away from Yukio with a nervous smile on my face. "Really, it's nothing, you must've misheard me or something.", I said moving towards the bathroom but not turning my back on him… I walked towards me with a confused look on his face. "What are you hiding?", he asked. "Nothing, I swear… You don't need to worry about it." He suddenly reached out and grabbed my shoulder, touching a particularly raw spot… The sudden pain startled me and my foot slipped as I lost my balance, tangling with Yukio's feet and sending us both tumbling to the ground… I hit the floor hard but managed to keep from crying out in pain. Yukio quickly pushed off and apologized as he crouched over me… but I wasn't listening… My face was scrunched up in pain and I was biting my lip to keep from crying out.

Yukio paused when he felt something wet on the hand that'd touched my shoulder… He lifted it from the floor, leaving a red print there and started at it in disbelief. "…blood?", he muttered… Suddenly he was panicked… "Aiko! Are you hurt!" "I told you it was nothing to worry about, it's my problem, okay?", I managed in a strained voice. He put his hand behind my neck and lifted me into a sitting position. Noticing the blood stains on the back of the shirt. "Stay here, I'll get some bandages!", he cried as he quickly ran up the stairs. I, of course, didn't listen. I stood up slowly, winching at the slight pain and headed back into the furo-dressing area. 'At least it hurts less than when I got them.', I thought to myself while looking at the blood that was finally seeping through the front of the shirt as well. The wounds weren't too bad… It wasn't like I was bleeding non-stop or something… They were just a few cuts.

As I stood, bracing myself against the wall, I felt a bit dizzy. The long day was finally catching up to me and my teleporting the great distance from the Tendos to the park hadn't been such a great idea either… I hadn't had enough mana so I had to supplement it a little with my ki… It worked but the result was showing now… I plopped down on the floor, alleviating some of dizziness, just as Yukio walked into the room… He dropped the first aid case next to me and reached for the shirt. I quickly grabbed the edge of the shirt, pushing it down and cried, "Just what do you think you're doing!" "We have to take off the shirt to treat your wounds you know…", he replied calmly. "But you'll see me!", I cried. "Can you think of a better way!" '… … I can't very well treat the wounds myself, can I?... right? …', I thought to myself, very reluctantly... "Fine! But you'd better not look!", I cried as I turned my back on him and slowly removed the shirt, trying to keep the pain at a minimum… I was already hurting enough from the fall.

"You'd better not try anything funny.", I glared at him over my shoulder my face crimson with embarrassment. "And why would I try anything with you? It's not like you got anything worth looking at, You're flat-chested and you're built like a beanpole." My eyebrow twitched and a vein popped up on my forehead… I would've beaned him over the head it wasn't for the fact that I'd give him a free show if I moved. He made quick work of cleaning the wounds on my back, not saying a word, he even allowed me to clean the cuts on my front and arms. Then he started wrapping the bandages around my form, careful not to hurt me or aggravate my wounds any further. When we were finally done he handed me another oversized shirt he'd swiped on his way down with the first-aid kit. I quickly pulled it over my head. I turned around and looked him in the face, but he refused to meet my eyes. He grinned nervously and gulped, a slight blush on his cheeks. I glared at him… the blush on my own still going full blast… "Don't think you're ever doing that again!", I growled, "It was a one time deal, okay!" "Hey!", he cried defensively, "Is that anyway to treat the guy who just helped you out? Besides you might need someone to change the bandages again in the future.", he said with a smirk, though he still wouldn't meet my eyes. "Baka-Hentai.", I grumbled as I left the room but stumbled slightly… as a wave of dizziness passed over me again. He was at my side in a second, taking my arm to keep me upright… When I regained my footing I shoved him away… "I don't need your help!", I cried as I ran up the stairs to my room, locking my door.

I stood at the window, looking out into the storm. The world was already darkening with the approaching night. I thought back to what I'd just experienced… I felt… violated somehow… I knew I was being childish but I was still embarrassed about the whole scene. There was a knock on the door, "Aiko! Open up… I need to talk to you…", came Yukio's voice, "Listen, I'm sorry for making fun of you. I still want to know what happened and how you got hurt like that." "I told you it's none of your business… Best you stay out of it.", I mumbled, not loud enough for him to hear through the door. I heard a distorted sigh behind the door… "Fine… I'm going to make supper… Come down in about twenty minutes.", he said before I heard his receding footsteps. My stomach suddenly made itself known with an extremely loud growl… I hadn't eaten anything all day… I guess that it must've attributed to that dizzy spell I had in the bathroom…

Twenty minutes passed and I could barely stand it anymore… the thought of food in my stomach made my mouth water… but I was afraid… I was embarrassed… I didn't want to see Yukio again… Unfortunately my stomach loudly protested against my staying locked in my room. I straightened out the make-shift nightshirt and unlocked my door quietly… 'It's best to just forget about it and act normal…', I tried to convince myself… I walked down the stairs, speeding up as I smelled Yukio's cooking… I walked into the dining room and took my seat, giving Grandpa Tanaka a quick smile. Yukio walked out of the kitchen with the dishes in hand… I quickly jumped out of my seat and helped him carry it to the table, trying to repress my blush… I think I pulled it off quite nicely… I've always thought of myself as a bit of an actress. "Thanks for the help Aiko.", said Yukio politely, his face back in that blank, emotionless look that I've come to realize is normal for him. We sat down and waited until Grandpa Tanaka tasted the food before we cried thanks(Itedakimasu) and dug in with vengeance.

The conversation at the table was next to nothing… It was strange being in a setting like this… The Tendo home was much less traditional with their dinners… There was always fights and angry shouts… When we were finally done, I helped Yukio carry the plates back to the kitchen feeling more at ease around him by now. I'd calmed down and my childish streak had passed so I took it upon myself to help him wash the dishes. It was silent for all of five minutes, "Care to tell me how you how you were hurt like that?", he asked. "It doesn't matter… it has nothing to do with you.", I said solidly. 'It's really none of his business… He doesn't have to get involved in my troubles, he'll only get hurt.', I thought to myself… I did notice a slight frown appear on his face but I ignored it and continued drying the plates meticulously. We finished the rest of the dishes in silence and went to our separate rooms with a curt goodnight.

I sat in the darkened room staring out at the pouring rain… It reminded me of that horrible night over a year ago… it felt like the same storm… I was afraid that I'd bring misfortune and death upon yet another family… I needed to run, to get away and yet… there was something… something different about this family, something about Yukio that made me want to stay. I plopped down on the bed and slowly fell asleep, my eyes never leaving the falling darkness outside the window for fear it might come alive at any second.

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I awoke with a start as I heard a voice yelling right in my ear… at first I was disoriented, not knowing where I was but it finally came back to me… Then I looked to my bed-side and saw a smirking Yukio there. I drove my fist into his skull without a second thought… "Just what are you doing in here!", I asked at the downed boy. "I brought you your clothes… They've been washed and dried…", he groaned, "And Grandpa decided if your gonna stay here long then you should go to school. We're picking up a uniform for you today.", he finished a bit stronger and sitting upright on the floor. I blinked at him, "School?" 'But I've already graduated…', I thought to myself… 'Oh well, it can't be that bad.' "Um… okay… I guess.", I replied… I paused for a moment waiting but he just sat there looking up at me innocently. "Um could you leave so I can get dressed?" "Oh! Sure!", he said as he dashed for the door. "What was that all about?", I wondered to myself, "He better not be having perverted thoughts."

I quickly jumped out of bed and pulled on the leotard, denim shorts and jacket, feeling a bit more comfortable in my normal attire… I paused for a second and concentrated, checking my mana and ki resources. They were way too low… From what I could tell I had barely regained anything… 'I guess that teleport yesterday put a bit too much strain on my damaged system.', I thought to myself… I could do nothing but wait for it to heal… Even the minor healing spell after my tampering with Ranma's curse was already too much for my expended resources. 'I really wish I could get back on track… I won't be able to do anything if they show up now.'

The day was spent in the town square where a 'Sunday market' was being held. I found it bit strange since it wasn't really part of the Japanese culture as far as I knew but I let it slide. No use worrying over something like that… Fortunately for us… or rather unfortunately for me, Grandpa Tanaka was friends with the owner of the local 'School supplies' shop and he opened it just for us so I could get my new uniform ready for Monday… I also found out that Grandpa Tanaka was a very influential man in this district… He even got my signed up for school without any prior records, how he did that was beyond me. I suspect Nabiki may have had something to do with that to I might just be paranoid.

The long day finally drew to an end without much trouble… but I knew that middle school would have problems of it's own to deal with tomorrow. Nerima was definitely not a place for the normal so something was bound to happen…

AN: Well I told you this chapter would be shorter... and I decided to leave it on a high-note so I'll at least get some more reviews this time... I expect at least one review for every 1000 words but it seems unlikely that you actually enjoy this fic and I'm not in the mood to play Ukyou for now so I guess we're at an impass... Let me ask you people something... Did you like 'Once more, Trust' more than the start of 'Once more I'll trust you, the Remake' ? Which one should I continue... Email me with your opinion please and I'll see what I can do about adding another chapter to whichever one...


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